England's Italian job in Rome just got even harder

England’s assignment in Rome has just got even harder, with news that Juan Ignacio Brex is back in the Azzurri frame.

Gonzalo Quesada has confirmed his wider squad for the March 7 clash in the fourth round of the 2026 Guinness Six Nations and the superb centre is back in the fold.

Brex and Tommaso Menoncello are arguably the best midfield partnership in the competition and news of the former’s return means that Steve Borthwick’s charges face an even stiffer challenge from the highly competitive Azzurri, who will be eyeing the visit of England to Rome as a real opportunity to cause an upset and simultaneously make history as the first Italian side to beat the men in white.

The Italy head coach has recalled Tommaso Allan, Gianmarco Lucchesi, Stephen Varney and the aforementioned Brex. The 33-year-old sat out of the squad for Italy’s matches with Ireland and France by agreement with the coaching staff for family reasons.

His return restores both experience and steel to Italy’s midfield.

It’s not all roses for the Italians, however. Ange Capuozzo and Alessandro Page-Relo are not fully fit, meaning Quesada is balancing returnees with enforced changes.

Announcing his squad, Quesada said: “We have some returning players, such as Allan, Brex, Lucchesi, and Varney. They haven’t played much in recent weeks, both due to injury and personal reasons. Some currently lack the pace to play 80 minutes in an international match, but it’s important for us to see them back in the squad, especially considering some injuries in the squad, such as Capuozzo and Page-Relo, who hasn’t fully recovered. These are players with great experience, and bringing them back to the national team environment is an opportunity we wanted to seize ahead of the second half of the tournament.”

Brex’s importance to this Italian side is not difficult to quantify. Defensively abrasive and tactically sharp, he is often the glue between Italy’s gainline ambition and their structure. His absence in Rounds 2 and 3 was certainly felt, despite an excellent turn from Leonardo Marin at 12.

England have an impeccable record in Rome but expectations will weigh heavily on their shoulders. They arrive in the Italian capital with their campaign hanging by a thread after back-to-back defeats to Scotland and Ireland in rounds two and three.

The loss at Murrayfield reopened familiar questions about game management and accuracy under pressure, and the collapse against Ireland has shattered confidence in the current coaching ticket. Two defeats in succession have stripped away any realistic title ambition and have left Borthwick’s men playing for salvage rather than silverware.

Italy will assemble in Rome on March 1 at the Giulio Onesti Olympic Training Centre before naming their matchday squad on March 5.